Control means in mail separating cancelling and stacking machines



March 19, 1968 R. C. ADAMS 3,373,685

CONTROL MEANS IN MAIL SEPARATING CANGELLING AND STACKING MACHINES 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Jan. 11, 1966 INVENTOR. Richard C. Adams APZ'ORNEY WITNESS: am" ammy March 19, 1968 R. c. ADAMS I 3,373,685

CONTROL MEANS IN MAIL SEPARATING CANOELLING AND STACKING MACHINES Filed Jan. 11, 1966 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG. 2

INVENTOR.

Richard C. Adams BY v WITNESS:

Oi w g/sw R NEY March 19, 1968 R. c. ADAMS 3,373,535

CONTROL MEANS IN MAIL SEPARATING CANCELLING AND STACKING MACHINES 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Jan. ll, 1966 INVENTOR. I Richard C. Adams ATT RNEY WITNESS: aye c0 JMZcEA March 19. 1968 R. c. ADAMS CONTROL MEANS IN MAIL SEPARATING CANCELLING AND STACKING MACHINES I 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Jan. 11, 1966 L F FIG.5

73 13 il I: s :11 51 I 7T 12 I'NVENTOR. Rlchclrd -C. Adams BY WITNESS; W, (M AT ORNEY United States Patent 3,373,685 CONTROL MEANS IN MAIL SEPARATING CAN- CELLING AND STACKING MACHINES Richard C. Adams, State College, Pa., assignor to Friden, Inc., Lewistown, Pa., a corporation of Delaware Filed Jan. 11, 1966, Ser. No. 519,904 8 Claims. (Cl. 101-235) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A machine for handling and cancelling letter mail having a letter facing table, a belt driven conveyor operably associated with an electrically controlled clutch for feeding the letters to a unit comprising various sections for respectively reducing the mail flow from random flow to controlled flow and ultimately for reducing the letter flow to single letter flow, whereupon a cancellation mark is imprinted on each letter and the cancelled mail automatically is stacked. An electrically controlled sensing system is operably associated with each of the flow controlling sections and with the electrically controlled clutch for interrupting, by switch means, the mail flow when a blockage of letters occurs at either of the sensing units.

Summary This invention relates to a machine and method for handling and cancelling letter mail and more particularly to a unitary machine in which in one continuous operation uncancelled, faced, letters are fed by a conveyor belt to a primary separator section, from which the letters pass through a secondary separator section, through a cancelling section and finally are fed to a stacker section.

Various forms of the present invention are based on the fact that (1) a blockage of letters occurring at one location in a letter mail handling machine is automatically cleared preferably by intermittently or in other words alternately stopping and starting a letter feeding section or device, (2) a blockage of letters in another instance is detected and a letter feeding section or device is stopped thereby permitting a clerk manually to clear the blockage, and (3) on the fact that a letter feeding section or device is automatically stopped just prior to a stacker section of the machine becoming full of letters.

A typical embodiment of the invention comprises a conventional mail facing table having a conveyor trough extending along the front edge thereof. Incoming mail, including both long and short letters, is dumped on the table and clerks standing along the front of the table orient each letter by placing it into the trough with the postage stamp in the front lower left, or leading corner. The conveyor is driven, through an electrically controlled clutch, by a continuously running electric motor and the conveyor carries a multitude of randomly-spaced and randomlybunched letters to a first feed roller which feeds the bunched letters past a primary sonic, photoelectric or other sensing unit and thence to a pair of continuously running primary separator rollers which reduce the letters from random flow to a controlled flow of mostly one and not more than two or three letters at a time. The letters are then fed by means of continuously running transport rollers past a secondary sonic, photoelectric or other sensing unit to a secondary separation section which forwards letters, one at a time, to a cancellation section where both a cancellation mark and a postmark are imprinted on each letter. Thereafter the letters pass to a stacker section where the imprinted letters are stacked. Each of the sensing units controls an electric relay. If a blockage of letters occurs at the primary sensing unit,

the relay associated with this sensing unit would, by means of a continuously driven cam wheel, alternately deenergize and energize the aforementioned electric clutch, thus, stopping and starting the conveyor belt. This stops and starts the flow of mail to the first feed roller. If the conveyor belt were permitted to operate continuously the mail on the belt would tend to be pushed through the primary separator and prohibit the desired separation of letters to take place. If a blockage of letters occurs at the secondary sensing unit, the relay associated with this sensing unit will completely deenergize the aforementioned electric clutch and thus stop the conveyor belt from the feeding of mail. This permits a clerk manually to clear the blockage. In the event that the stacker section becomes full, a limit switch opens to deenergize the clutch and stop the conveyor belt from feeding mail.

A primary object of the present invention is to provide an improved unitary machine for handling letter mail, including both long and short letters.

Otherimportant objects of the invention are:

To provide an improved means and method in which letter mail is received from a conveyor and fed, in one continuous operation, through a letter separation section and a letter cancelling mechanism to a stacker where the cancelled letters are stacked.

To provide an improved letter mail handling machine which will automatically clear a blockage of letters which may occur during feeding of the mail.

To provide an improved means for intermittently or in other Words alternately stopping and starting the feeding of letters to a separation section of a mail handling machine.

To provide an improved means for stopping the feeding of letters when a blockage of letters occurs.

To provide an improved means for stopping the feeding of letters when a stacker basket is loaded to capacity.

With the above and other objects in view, as will hereinafter appear, the invention comprises the devices, combinations and arrangements of parts hereinafter set forth and illustrated in the accompanying drawings of a preferred embodiment of the invention, from which the several features of the invention and the advantages attained thereby will be readily understood by those skilled in the art.

Brief description of the drawings The invention will now be described with the aid of the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is an overall perspective view of a letter mail handling machine embodying the present invention, most of the operating elements of the machine being hidden from view by covers,

FIG. 2 is a schematic view showing, among other things, an elementary electric wiring diagram and indicating the relationship between certain electrical and me chanical features of the machine shown in FIG. 1,

' FIG. 3 is a plan view, with covers removed, showing in more detail the primary and a first portion of the secondary separation sections shown schematically in FIG. 2,

FIG. 4 is a plan view, with covers removed, showing in more detail a second portion of the secondary separation section and the cancellation section shown schematically in FIG. 2,

FIG. 5 is a plan view, with covers removed, showing in detail the stacker section shown schematically in FIG. 2, and

FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken substantially on the line 66 of FIG. 3.

Description of the preferred embodiments The letter mail handling machine 14 illustrated in FIGS. 1 through 6 comprises a large facing table or member and a combined separator, canceller and stacker unit 16. Along the front edge of the table 15 extends a conveyor section comprising a. substantially U-shaped preferably extruded aluminum channel or trough 17 in the bottom of which runs a conveyor belt or device 18 suitably carried on pulleys 19 and 21. The pulley 19 is driven by a continuously running electric motor 22 through a gear box 23, an electrically controlled clutch 24, a drive pulley 26, a belt 27, a driven pulley 28, and a shaft 29, the said pulley 19 being mounted on the shaft 29. Incoming letter mail is dumped on the table 15 and clerks (not shown) standing along the front of the table orient each letter by placing it into the trough 17 with the postage stamp in the front, lower left or leading corner. Letters so placed into the trough 17 and on the belt 18 are usually randomly spaced in bunches indicated generally by the numeral 30. In this condition the letters are fed by the belt 18 to a first continuously driven forwarding roller 31 which cooperates with a spring loaded pivotally mounted deflector plate 32, the belt 18 and roller 31 both being driven in such a direction as to forward the letters from right to left as seen in FIGS. 2 and 3, the roller 31 turning counterclockwise as seen in FIGS. 2 and 3. A second forwarding roller 33 isoperatively connected to the roller 31 by a forwarding belt 34 which also passes around a roller 35 and the elements 31, 32, 33 and 34 forward random bunches of letters 30 past a first sensor or primary sensing unit 36 comprising among other items a transmitter 37 and a receiver 38. The transmitter and receiver may be part of an ultrasonic unit constructed in accordance with the showing of United States Patent No. 3,070,790, or if desired the sensing unit may be of other construction as for example, mechanical or photo electric.

At the same time, the elements 31, 32, 33 and 34 forward the bunched letters 30 to a primary separator section or device 39 which comprises the previously mentioned roller 33 and a continuously running reverse roller 41. The separator 39, in a manner somewhat similar to that shown in United States Patents Nos. 2,845,267 and 3,070,368, reduces the random flow of letters to a controlled fiow of letters of mostly one and usually not more than two or three letters at a time.

The letters are then forwarded by a plurality of continuously running pairs of transport rollers 42, 43, 44 and 46. These rollers feed the now controlled flow of letters to an additional pair of transport rollers 47 preferably having peripheral speeds that are faster than the peripheral speeds of the rollers 42, 43, 44 and 46. The rollers 47 feed the controlled flow of letters past a second sensor of secondary sensing unit 48 which, except for having a very short time delay built thereinto, may be a duplicate of the primary sensing unit 36, and which comprises among other items a transmitter 49 and a receiver 51. The sensing units 36 and 48 will hereinafter be described more fully. Then the letters are passed toward a feed belt 52 which is carried on a pair of continuously running rollers 53 and 54 and the belt 52 co operates with a spring loaded pivotally mounted deflector 56. The belt 52 and the roller 53 forward the now controlled flow of letters to a secondary separator section or device 57 which like the primary separator 39 comprises the previously mentioned roller 54 and a continuously running reverse roller 58. The secondary separator 57, in a manner somewhat similar to that shown in United States Patents Nos. 2,845,267 and 3,070,368 supra, separates the controlled flow of letters into a flow so that only one letter is fed at a time to a pair of continuously driven rollers 59 which feed the individual letters to a cancelling section or device 61 which may comprise equipment somewhat similar to that shown in United States Patent No. 1,134,271. Briefly stated the section 61 comprises, in addition to the previously mentioned pair of rollers 59, a pair of die tri rollers 62, a cancelling die 63, a back-up roller 64, and a pair of inking rollers 66. After each letter has been imprinted with a stamp cancellation mark and a postmark, they are forwarded by a pair of feed rollers 67 to another pair of feed rollers 68 one of which drives a belt 69 which in turn drives a star wheel 71 of the type shown in United States Patents Nos. 1,538,999 and 2,804,302. The star wheel 71 in a well known manner urges the letters to a position on a stacker section or device 70 having a stacker basket 72 of the type shown in United States Patents Nos. 1,538,999 and 2,804,302 supra. Briefly stated, the stacker basket 72 comprises a pair of substantially horizontal support rods 73 and a plurality of spaced parallel rods 74 which slope downwardly away from the stacker section 70 of the combined separator, canceller and stacker unit 16 in which the star wheel 71 is supported. A movable spaced plate 76, similar to a plate shown in Patent No. 2,804,302, supra, slides on rods 74 and this plate is attached to a cylindrical weight 77 which slides on a rod 78. The weight 77 and the plate 76 are urged against sliding to the lower end of the rods 73 and 74 by a cable 79 which passes over a pulley 80 (diagrammatically shown in FIG. 1) and the other end of the cable 79 is attached to a weight 81 which tends to urge the plate 76 upwards towards the star wheel 71. A limit device 82, which hereinafter will be described more fully, is associated with the cable 79 and weight 81 so that, when the plate 76 moves to the bottom of the rods 73, and 74, the cable 79 and the weight 81 will cooperate to operate the device 82 to perform a function later to be described.

Electrical equipment, which is designated generally by the numeral 100, is associated with and designed to control the hereinbefore described equipment of the mail handling machine 14. The electrical equipment comprises a pair of A-C (alternating current) power line wires 101 and 102, a master power contactor designated generally by the numeral 103 and comprising a solenoid 104 and three normally open sets of contacts 106, 107 and 108. The equipment 100 also includes a normally open start" push button 109, a normally closed stop push button 111, the previously mentioned sensing unit 36 which in addition to the transmitter 37 and the receiver 38, has a control panel 112 connected to the transmitter 37 and the receiver 38 by cables and which in addition to other items is equipped with a normally open switch 113. The equipment 100 also includes the previously mentioned sensing unit 48 which in addition to the transmitter 49 and receiver 51 has a control panel 114 connected to the transmitter 49 and the receiver 51 by cables and which in addition to other items is equipped with a normally open switch 116. The panels 112 and 114 may be con structed in accordance with the showing of United States Patent No. 3,065,455 although other suitable forms of control panels may be substituted for the panels shown. The electrical equipment 100 also includes a clutch relay 117 having a solenoid 118 and a normally closed switch 119, a pulse unit relay 121 having a solenoid 122 and a normally open switch 123. The equipment 100 also includes a continuously running motor 124 for driving a cam drum 126 which in cooperation with a cam follower 127 alternately opens and closes a switch 128. Also included is a rectifier 129 for converting the A-C power provided by the lines 101 and 102 into D-C (direct current) for operating the clutch 24. Also the said limit device 82 is equipped with a normally closed switch 132. In addition, two continuously running electric motors 136 and 137 provide power for driving various unshown mechanisms schematically indicated at 139 and 140, which mechanisms cause the rollers, 31, 33, 41, 42, 43, 44, 46, 47, 53, 54, 58, 59, 62, 63, 64, 66, 67, and 68 to be driven continuously whenever the contacts 107 and 108 of the master contactor 103 are closed.

When the subject mail handling machine 14 is not in use the master power contactor 103, in a well known manner, disconnects the electrical conductors 141 and 142 from the power lines 102 and 103. Pushing the start button 109 closes the contactor 103 and energizes the conductors 141 and 142 and thus starts the mail handling machine 14. Pushing stop button 111 opens the contactor 103 and stops operation of the machine 14. From the wiring diagram portion of FIG. 2 it will be evident that the pair of conductors 141 and 142 and their branch conductors connect the electric motors 22, 124, 136 and 137 for continuous running. The conductors 141 and 142 also supply continuous power to the control panels 112 and 114. The solenoid 118 of the clutch relay 117 may be energized through either of two circuits, firstly, by a circuit extending from the conductor 141 through the switch 116, thence by a conductor 143 through the solenoid 118 to the conductor 142, or secondly, from the conductor 141 through the switch 123, through to a conductor 144 thence through the alternately opened and closed or jogging switch 128, through a branch of the conductor 143, and the solenoid 118 to the conductor 142. The solenoid 122 of the pulse unit relay 121 may be energized by a circuit extending from the conductor 141 through the switch 113, thence by a conductor 146 through the solenoid 122 to the conductor 142. The clutch 24 may be energized by a circuit extending from the conductor 141 through the switch 119, through a conductor 147,

through the switch 132, through a conductor 148, through the coil of the clutch 24, through a conductor 149, through the rectifier 129 and thence to the conductor 142.

Operation of the subject machine 14 is as follows: Bunches of faced letters placed in the trough 17 are conveyed by the belt 18 to the forwarding roller 31, then between the transmitter 37 and he receiver 38 of the primary sensing unit 36 into the primary separator 39 which converts the bunched letters into a controlled flow of preferably one and not more than two or three letters at a time. Then feed rollers 42, 43, 44, 46 and 47 convey the controlled flow of letters between the transmitter 49 and the receiver 51 of the secondary sensing unit 48 into the secondary separator 57 which feeds letters one at a time to the cancelling section 61 where each letter is imprinted with a cancellation mark and a postmark. Then the letters are forwarded by the rollers 67, 68, and belt 69 to the star wheel 71 and to the stacker basket 72.

If a blockage of letters should occur between the transmitter 37 and the receiver 38, the primary sensing unit 36 would be deactivated. When the sensing unit 36 is deactivated by a blockage of letters, the conductor 146 is energized by the closing of the switch 113, thereby energizing the solenoid 122 of the pulse unit relay 121 which relay 121 closes its normally open switch 123. Closing of the switch 123 establishes a circuit from the conductor 141, through the switch 123, conductor 144, the alternately opened and closed or jogging switch 128, the conductor 143, the solenoid 118 of the relay 117 to the conductor 142. Thus, whenever the switch 128 is closed, the solenoid 118 of the clutch relay 117 will be energized and whenever the switch 128 is open the solenoid 118 will be deenergized. The alternate energizing and deenergizing of the solenoid 118 causes the clutch relay 117 to o en and close its switch 119 and thus energize and deenergize the clutch 24. This stops and starts the conveyor belt 18.-

Starting and stopping of the conveyor belt 18 causes an intermittent feeding of letters from the conveyor belt to the feed roller 31. If the conveyor belt 18 were operated continuously, bunches of mail on the belt 18 would tend to be pushed through the primary separator 39 and prevent the desired separation of letters from taking place.

If a blockage of letters should occur between the transmitter 49 and the receiver 51, the secondary sensing unit 48 would be deactivated. When the secondary sensing unit 48 is deactivated, the conductor 143 is energized by the closing of the switch 116, thereby energizing the sole noid L18 of the clutch relay 117 which relay 117 opens its normally closed switch 119. Opening of the switch 119 deenergizes the clutch 24 and stops the conveyor belt 18. A blockage of letters between the transmitter 49 and the receiver 51 of the secondary sensing unit 48 overrides the effect of the primary sensing unit 36 and completely stops the belt 18 from feeding letters until the blockage in the secondary sensing unit 48 has been removed.

If the stacker basket 72 should become so full of letters as to cause the spacer plate 76 to move close to the lower ends of the rods 73 and 74, the cable 79 will raise the weight 81 to such a position as to open the normally closed switch 132 of the limit switch 82. Opening of the switch 132 deenergizes the clutch 24 and thereby stops the conveyor belt 18. In this instance the belt 18 will not feed letters until such time as the full stacker basket 72 has been unloaded and the spacer plate moved upwardly on the rods 73 and 74.

In the above discussion, it will be understood that the term continuous running is intended to mean that the motor or part so designated operates continuously whenever the contacts 1107 and108 of the master power contactor 103 are closed. Also, the sensing units 112 and 114, for the purpose of illustration are shown as generating, receiving and responding to ultrasonic vibrations, however it will be understood that other forms of sensing units, for example, purely mechanical or photoelectric sensing units, may be substituted for the units 112 and 114.

Having thus described the nature of this invention, what is claimed herein is:

1. A letter mail handling machine comprising in combination, a conveyor section being so constructed and arranged as to transport orientated letters, a separator section so constructed and arranged as to receive letters from said conveyor section and to insure that said letters are forwarded one at a time, a cancelling section so constructed and arranged as to cancel letters received from said separator section, a stacker section adapted to be operatively associated with said cancelling section for receiving and stacking the cancelled letters, sensor means located prior to said separator section relative to the direction of travel of said letters through said machine, said sensor means being responsive to a blockage of letters in said machine, and means controlled by said sensor for stopping the operation of one of said sections whereby the blockage is sensed before the letters are processed from the separator section.

2. A unitary letter mail handling machine comprising in combination a member for receiving letters which are to be faced, a conveyor associated with said member and so constructed and arranged as to transport random assortments of one or more faced letters from said member, sensor means responsive to a jamming of letters coming from said conveyor and said sensor having means for stopping the operation of said conveyor, a separator section connected to said conveyor and being so constructed and arranged as to receive random assortments of one or more letters from said conveyor and to reduce said random assortments of one or more letters to a flow of one letter at a time, said sensor means located prior to said separator section relative to the direction of travel of said letter through said machine a cancelling section so constructed and arranged as to cancel letters received from said separator section, and a stacker section operatively associated with said cancelling section for receiving and stacking the cancelled letters.

3. A unitary letter mail handling machine according to claim 2 wherein the said sensor means has means for both stopping and starting said conveyor.

4. A unitary letter mail handling machine according to claim 2 wherein the said conveyor is driven, through an electrically controlled clutch, by a continuously running motor and wherein said sensor means is so constructed and arranged as to deenergize said electrically controlled clutch thereby stopping said conveyor.

5. A unitary letter mail handling machine according to claim 2 wherein the said sensor means comprises both a primary and a secondary sensing unit and wherein one of said units has means for stopping the operation of said conveyor and wherein the other of said units has means for both starting and stopping said conveyor, whereby a substantially controlled flow of letter mail is provided.

6. A letter mail handling machine according to claim 1 wherein a member preceding the said conveyor section is adapted for receiving letters to he orientated and fed to said conveyor section. 7. A letter mail handling machine according to claim 1 wherein said stacker section includes switch means responsive to a predetermined number of stacked letters for stopping the flow of letters.

8. A unitary letter mail handling machine according to claim 2 wherein the said sensor means comprises both a primary and a secondary sensing unit, each of said sensing units having means for stopping at least said conveyor belt and wherein one of said primary and secondary sensing units is so constructed and arranged as to override the operation of the other of said primary and secondary sensing units for completely stopping said conveyor belt from feeding letters.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,228,460 6/1917 Mack 1012 1,633,245 6/1927 Eskholme 101--235 10 2,342,190 2/1944 Gullwitzor 271-57 2,350,703 6/1944 Ryan et a1. 101-235 2,448,830 9/1948 Robbins et al 10l2 X 2,551,468 5/1951 Schutt 27157 2,352,802 7/1944 Ryan et a1. l01235 15 2,443,791 6/1948 Ielfield 101-235 WILLIAM B. PENN, Primary Examiner. 

